7.21.2008

You'll find my comments and confirmations in purple.. yikes.

Meet the Millennials: We Come in (Digital) Peace

USA Today says: “They’re young, smart, brash. They may wear flip-flops to the office (check) and/or listen to iPods at their desks (check). They want to work, but they don’t want work to be their life. (ch ch ch check)”

In case you haven’t been introduced, meet your new workforce, the “Millennials.” They include about 70 million Americans born between 1977 and 2002 (1985 for me) (and usually, it’s a narrower gap of those ages 16-27). What’s so special about this new generation of employees is that they’ve enjoyed the luxuries of digital technology throughout their entire lives.

Cathy O’Neill, SVP at career management company Lee Hecht Harrison, adds that “the millennium generation has been brought up in the most child-centered generation ever. They’ve been programmed and nurtured. Their expectations are different.” For Millennials, our needs, wants, skills, interactions, sociability and expectations are all different from previous generations. We’re the first generation of digital multi-taskers, able to juggle e-mail, files/ documents, music and videos all with one hand (and a phone)(check, love my iPhone, it can do everything!). We’re tech-savvy, high-performing and high-maintenance. (okay, check)

FreshMinds Talent, in partnership with Management Today, surveyed more than 1,000 people in a study entitled “Work 2.0.” It suggests that Millennials are generally more ambitious, more brand conscious and tend to move jobs more often than ever before (I've been out of college for less than a year and I'm on career #2). More than any previous generation, today's young professionals are plugged in 24/7 with a world of communication and information at their fingertips. Their great expectations come from million-dollar success stories that have transformed a lifetime of paper-pushing cubicle work into digital technology innovators.

Millennials live, eat and breathe digital and have already begun to push the limits of technology, an asset for any company forging into the future. If you don’t mind the occasional “cool” being tossed around in office work chatter, IM bubbles popping up over Excel spreadsheets or funky, dancing iPod speaker robots on desktops, we Millennials will definitely return a high yield.

Interesting Facts about Millennials:

They spend a lot of time at the gym (more than I'd like actually)More than 1/3 of 18-25-year olds have at least one tattoo (false for me)30% have a piercing in places besides earlobes (took it out over a year ago, so false also)

*In their recent book, Reynol Junco and Jeanna Mastrodicasa found that, of 7,705 U.S. college students:

97% own a computer -check94% own a cell phone -check76% use Instant Messaging -check (via iChat)15% of IM users are logged on 24/7 -check (when at work)34% use Web sites as their primary source of news -check28% own a blog and 44% read blogs -check and check49% download music using peer-to-peer file sharing -check75% of college students have a Facebook account -check60% own some type of portable music and/or video device such as an iPod -check

Other terms for Millennial:

Generation Now: has been used as well to reflect the urge for instant-gratification that technology has impartedComputer GenerationGeneration D (for "Digital")Generation M (for Millennium or Multi-Task)Net Gen, a shortened form of "Net Generation" (similar to the related term "Net Natives")

7.18.2008

The good news is Matt doesn't have to go to California! PS. Isn't that a beautiful picture of downtown Columbus?! I love this city!

The big event this week was Cooper learning how to jump the baby gate. I apologize for the poor video quality, I was trying to be sneaky!!!

I came home to him sitting at the top of the stairs... and of course he looked so darn cute that I couldn't even get mad. Needless to say we bought a bigger baby gate. Not much going on this weekend, a baby shower, and playing with Cooper, Matt will golf of course! I don't even care, I'm just happy he will be golfing in OHIO and not California!!!

7.14.2008

Yes. We waited in line for the iPhone on Friday. Call us crazy, we got there at 4:45 and we were out of the store and activated by 8:15. We got there before they ran out and before the computers crashed, so I think we were pretty smart. Plus I love my new phone! I missed my first iPhone so much after we sold them so I was so happy to get the new one!

Also on Friday Mike Jackson from NBC4 interviewed me at my office. We use Twitter a lot to see what everyone is up to, and what the local stations are going to be airing and on Friday I saw a tweet that was asking about an email sent out from airline companies, well, since Matt and I had just flown to Vegas I got the email and I let the reporter know I'd send it to him-- turns out he wanted an interview and came right over to my office. While he was here he spotted my iPhone and interviewed my co-worker Kristyn for her iPhone story-- unfortunately she waited in line and didn't get a phone, you can read about her iPhone journey on the link above.

Matt got some interesting news today-- his company informed him that he may be sent to California for 3 months. We will know for sure tomorrow but there are lots of Cons, but also some Pros. For example, we would get rid of our apartment, saving money and letting us start looking for a bigger apartment (Matt's choice) or a house (My choice.) We would also get to do some fun traveling for free-- Matt's company would pay for me to go visit and also for us to go to Maui, HI, and Vegas, and other cities on the West Coast. Of course the con is him having to be so far away, and work really long hours, and being away from Cooper (and me.) I really hope it doesn't happen but it is out of our control. We will see tomorrow.

In good news, my Papaw had surgery today and it went well. I am going to visit him as soon as I get off work!!! I can't wait to see him. :)

7.08.2008

Back from Vegas! Horrible luck while we were there. Didn't win at all- and lost plenty as well. First time we ever went to Vegas and were happy to come home. It was good to see all the MN friends though, heres a few pictures.

We didn't get to do all the things I would have liked, but we go to Vegas pretty frequently so...next time I suppose.

In good news-- Cooper was a very good little puppy while we were away. He stayed with my Mamaw & Papaw and they gave us a very good report. He really bonded with them too. He looked bigger when we got home, and he is definitely faster-- he's almost keeping up with Scooter!

He really struggles when we leave for work in the morning- crying and getting so upset he is making himself sick. He goes to the vet again tonight so I'm going to ask some questions.

Came back to work yesterday. Were doing some really neat things. I've been doing my homework too- really brainstorming different ways we can use new media and social media to promote our clients and get our stories out there. I'm not a genius by any means...but technology is so intriguing to me, and there are so many ways to reach people and get your name out there. I'm excited to keep doing research and playing with some applications and programs to really see what's out there.

About Kaylea

i'm 22 years young and i live in columbus, ohio with my boyfriend of 3 years, matt. i am a graduate of ohio university in athens, ohio where i majored in broadcast journalism and health. i am your typical gen Y'er aka millennial as i am already on to my second career. I am now in media relations. and i love it. my interests include: the news. current events. media. especially new media. travels. my boyfriend. my family. scooter. shopping. pink. the apple iphone. photography. jeni's ice cream. sunshine warming my skin. reading on my back patio. the soup on e!. pad thai. vegas. the mall of america. a glass half full. & finally life.